Stefanos Tsitsipas Accuses ATP of Breaking Promises Over Prize Money and Player Welfare

Stefanos Tsitsipas has publicly challenged the ATP’s handling of the Masters 1000 calendar, claiming players were promised greater prize money when the events were expanded and arguing the tour has failed to follow through. The Greek star warned that longer tournaments have increased fatigue and injuries, and demanded a clearer balance between commercial aims and player wellbeing.

“Make us work more, but at least increase prize money”

On the What’s the Call podcast, Tsitsipas pressed the ATP for higher compensation tied to the extended Masters 1000 format. He said he was shown the so-called OneVision plan in a meeting with the ATP chairman and that the proposals felt reasonable at the time. Now, he feels short-changed.

“The most frustrating part about this is, okay, you’re making us work more, which is fine. Make us work more, but at least increase prize money, ” Tsitsipas said. He emphasised that the extra days on the calendar should be matched with meaningful financial adjustments for players, especially given the physical toll of a stretched season.

Tsitsipas’s complaint focuses on fairness: if tournaments lengthen to capture more streaming hours and ticket revenue, the players who generate that product should see a proportionate share. He said there has not been a significant boost in prize pools or other compensation streams to reflect the heavier workload.

From OneVision supporter to vocal critic: schedule and injury concerns

Tsitsipas previously featured in a 2022 video with the ATP chairman where he discussed the OneVision proposals, which included extending seven of nine Masters events from a seven-day to a 12-day format. He has since reversed his stance, calling the wider rollout a “backwards move” and arguing that it has done little to ease the calendar or improve competition quality.

He also tied the calendar changes to a rise in retirements and injuries on tour. “It also creates much more fatigue and injury for players, and I don’t think it’s accidental that 2025 was the year with the most retirements on the ATP Tour, ” he said, pointing to a season that saw several high-profile withdrawals and extended absences. Tsitsipas himself has battled a lingering back problem in recent seasons and framed his critique in the context of protecting players’ careers.

The extension of Masters events was designed to spread matches, bolster fan engagement and expand broadcast windows. Critics argue the result has been fragmentation and less compact, fan-friendly events in some locations, while supporters insist longer formats allow for better scheduling and recovery between matches. Tsitsipas contrasted the adapted Masters approach with tournaments that have maintained a one-week format and, in his view, delivered stronger on-court drama and clearer scheduling.

What happens next: pressure for a reassessment

Tsitsipas’s comments add weight to a growing chorus of players who want the tour to reassess how commercial ambitions align with athlete health and reward. His demand is straightforward: if players are being asked to play more days, the financial framework and medical safeguards should be adjusted accordingly.

The critique raises governance questions for the tour’s leadership about promises made during consultations and the mechanisms in place to measure the impact of structural changes. If the tour is to defend its calendar redesign, it will need to present clear metrics showing improvements to competition quality, player welfare and distribution of revenue.

For now, Tsitsipas’s intervention shifts the debate from calendar logistics to compensation and accountability. Whether it prompts concrete concessions or a formal review remains to be seen, but the issue is unlikely to fade while top players continue to voice worries about injuries and workload on the tour.